Extensible end table arrangement for dispensing cabinets



Aug. 31, 1954 EXTENSIBLE END TABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR DISPENSING CABINETSOriginal Filed Sept. 23, 1946 O. A. GIPPLE I i: ,1 H I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1IN VEN TOR.

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0. A. GIPPLE Aug. 31, 1954 EXTENSIBLE END TABLE ARRANGEMENT FORDISPENSING CABINETS 5 Sheets-Sheet s Original Filed Sept. 23, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORWHS Aug. 31, 1954 o ..A. GIPPLE 87,

EXTENSI-BLE END TABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR DISPENSING CABINETS Orig'inalFiled Sept. 23. 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 BYQWMM A TTOR/YE YS.

Aug. 31, 1954 o. A. GIPPLE EXTENSIBLE END TABLE ARRANGEMENT FORDISPENSING CABINETS Original Filed s 'z. 23, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N VEN TOR.

BY MM ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 31, 1954 EXTENSIBLE END TABLE ARRANGEMENT FOR DISPENSINGCABINETS Oliver A. Gipple, Buffalo, N. Y.

Original application September 23, 1946, Serial No. 698,620, now PatentNo. 2,561,358, dated July 24, 1951.

Divided and this application July 23, 1951, Serial No. 238,083

This invention relates to a dispensing cabinet for storing anddisplaying various refreshments, beverages, supplies and equipment forcocktail parties and the like and more particularly to such a dispensingcabinet having extensible end table sections.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No.698,620, filed September 23, 1946 for Closure Operator, now PatentNumber 2.561358, dated July 24, 1951.

One of the principal objects of the present in- Vention is to provide adispensing cabinet hav ing extensible end table sections which can beeasily and quickly contracted so as to occupy a minimum amount of spacewhen not in use and are capable of being readily extended so as toprovide an extended serving table.

Another object is to provide a dispensing cabinet which is attractiveand neat appearing in either its contracted or expanded condition.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a dispensing cabinet embodying thisinvention with parts broken away to show the internal construction ofthe cabinet.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same with parts broken away to showthe adjacent mechanism within the cabinet.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the upper part of the dispensing cabinet butshowing the mechanism in a position in which the table is expanded toincrease its supporting area.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken online l l, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the central liftable section of thetable and parts of the mechanism for moving the same vertically.

Figs. 6 and '7 are fragmentary perspective views of parts of themechanism for expanding and contracting the table sections.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevation of the compensating means whereby ayielding connection is provided between the mechanism which expands andcontracts the table and the power operated mechanism which actuates thesame.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the compensating means shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken on line iii-l0, Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the compensating meanswhereby a yielding connection is obtained between the mechanism whichoperates the sliding door sections of the beverage and supply storagecompartment and the 1 Claim. (Cl. 3l2282) power operated mechanism whichactuates the same.

Figs: 12 and 13 are fragmentary perspective views of parts of theflexible door or closure for said storage compartment and the means forguiding and actuating the same.

Fig. 14 is a vertical cross section, on an enlarged scale, of theexpansible serving table taken on line i l-M, Fig. 15.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of parts of the expansible serving tablemade in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 16 is a similar view of the removable panel or board forming a partof one of the horizontally movable sections of the expansible table.

In the following description similar reference characters indicate likeparts in the several figures of the drawings.

In general this invention comprises a housing which provides a supplycompartment 2t! having a front entrance and adapted to store variousbeverages, refreshments and the like, an equipment chamber 2! in whichglassware and the like are stored, and a serving table 22 adapted tosupport the glasses while the refreshments are being served.

In the preferred construction this housing com prises a lower base 23adapted to rest on the floor, a horizontal floor 24 resting on the baseand two upright side walls 25 connected at their lower ends with thefloor and supporting parts of the table 22 at their upper ends. Thespace within the outer enclosure of the housing is divided by ahorizontal partition 26 arranged between the floor 24 and the table 22so as to form the top of the refreshment chamber 2t and part of thebottom of the equipment chamber and thispartition is connected with thefloor 2 by two upright side partitions 21 which are spaced from thehousing side walls 25 so as to form two lower side pockets 28 in whichpart of the operating mechanism of the cabinet is arranged, and thishorizontal partition 2b is also connected at its inner or rear end withthe floor 24 by an upright transverse partition 2!) which is spaced fromthe rear side of the cabinet housing so as to form the inner or backWall of the equipment chamber 20 and also a pocket 30 in the rear partof the cabinet for receiving other parts of the operating mechanism.

The front side of the refreshment storage chamber 29 is opened andclosed by a slidable folding door 31. The upper part'oi the front sideof the cabinet is closed by a front transverse wall 32 and the spacewithin the upper part of the housing contains transvers front and rearpartitions 33, 34 and two longitudinal side partitions 35, 35 which formfront and rear pockets 35, 31 and two side pockets 38 within the upperpart of the cabinet housing for the reception of some of the operatingmechanism.

The door 3| of the refreshment storage chamber 20 preferably comprisestwo horizontally slidable folding sections which are adapted to meet atthe center of the front side of this chamber when the same are in aclosed position and to separate and move respectively into the pockets28 of the cabinet when in an open position. Each of the door sections ofthe refreshment storage chamber comprises a plurality of upright slats39 arranged edge to edge in a horizontal row and connected with eachother by flexible bands 40 so as to permit the same to fold horizontallyrelative to each other and move in unison either in a straight line intoand out of the respective side pocket 38 and into and out of a positionacross the front side of the chamber 20 and also turn the corner betweenthe front side of this chamber 26 and the respective pocket 38. Duringthis movement of the slats 39 of each of these door sections the lowerends of these slats engage with an outwardly facing guide way 4| formedon the longitudinal side edges and the transverse front edge of thefloor 24 of the refreshment storage chamber, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and10, and these slats are supported and guided at their upper ends bymeans of a plurality of hangers each of which has a lower attachingplate 42 secured by a rivet 43 to theinner side of the respective slatand an upper hook 44 which slides on an upper horizontal track 45extending transversely across the front side of the chamber 25 andlengthwise of the upper part of the respective pocket 38 and supportedon the adjacent parts of the cabinet by brackets 46. Turning of thesehangers about the rivets 43 is prevented by providing the upper edge ofeach attaching plate 42 on opposite sides of its hook 44 with retaininglips 4'! which engage with the upper edge of the respective slat, asshown in Figs. 12 and. 13.

Power operated means are provided for opening and closing the twofolding sections of the refreshment chamber door which means are shownin Figs. 1, 2, 10, 11 and 12, and constructed as follows:

The numeral 43 represents an electrically operated motor which ismounted on the bottom 24 of the pocket 30 and supplied with electriccurrent in any suitable manner and also controlled by switch means whichmay be varied. Motion is transmitted from the driving shaft 49 of thismotor to each of the folding door sections of the refreshment storagechamber so that the same are opened and closed simultaneously and forthis purpose each of these door sections is operatively connected withthe drivin shaft of the motor as follows:

The numeral 50 represents an upright rock lever arranged in each of thepockets 28 and connected at its upper end by means of a link with theupper part of the rearmost slat 39 of the respective door section whileits lower end is pivoted by means of a fulcrum pin or rivet 52 with arelatively stationary part so that upon swinging this lever forwardlyand backwardly the respective folding door section will be moved into aclosed and opened position. This locking movement is imparted to thislever by a horizontal door operating crank shaft 53 arrangedtransversely in the pocket 30 above the motor 48 and provided at itsopposite ends with cranks or crank arms 54 each of which is connected bya link 55 with one of the rock levers 50 between the ends of the latter,as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 10. The crank shaft 53 is rotated by motionderived from the motor 48 through the medium of an intermediatetransmitting gearing comprising an intermediate crank shaft 56 arrangedin the pocket 30 and journaled in suitable bearings on an adjacentstationary bracket 51 of the cabinet, intermeshing miter ear wheels 58,59 connected respectively with the intermediate shaft 56 and the dooroperating shaft 53, a worm shaft 66 journaled on the bracket 5'! andhaving a worm 6| Which meshes with a worm wheel 52 on the intermediatecrank shaft 56, and a belt 63 passing around pulleys 64, 65 mountedrespectively on the motor shaft 49 and the worm shaft 60. The throw ofthe cranks 54 and the parts associated therewith is so determined thatduring one-half of the rotation of these cranks on one side of the axisof the shaft 53 the rock levers will be actuated to close the sectionsof the door 3| and upon rotating these cranks one-half turn on theopposite side of this axis these levers will be turned in the oppositedirection and open these doors. This result is obtained by turning themotor continuously in the same direction and providing means which areoperated either manually or automatically for arresting the motor whenthe cranks 54 project horizontally forward, as shown in Fig. l and thedoors 3| are closed and also stopping the motor when these arms projecthorizontally rearward from the crank shaft 53 and these doors areopened.

In order to avoid the necessity of extremely accurate workmanship in themechanism for closing and opening the sections of the door 3| and stillpermit of tightly closing the same yielding compensating means areprovided whereby the means for transmittin motion from the motor 48 tothe door sections 3| will always overthrow or exert a tendency to movethese door sections after the same have reached their closed position,and thus hold them firmly closed without liability of breaking any ofthe operatingiparts. This is preferably accomplished by supporting thepivot pins 52 of the rock levers on compensating bars 66 which arecapable of floating and are yieldingly held in position so as to becapable of shifting in response to pressure on these levers afterthedoor sections 3| have been fully closed. For this purpose each of thesecompensating bars vis guided at its front and rear ends in guideways 61,68 on the adjacent stationary parts of the cabinet, and each of thesecompensating bars is drawn rearwardly against an adjacent stop 69 bymeans of a spring 'H] which connects lugs H, 72 formed, respectively, onthe compensating bar and its rear guideway 68, as best shown in Figs. 1,10 and 11. This stop 69 limits the rearward movement of thiscompensating bar and preferably consists of a screw which works in athreaded opening on the bracket I3 which carries the rear guideway 68,thereby permitting of adjusting the open position of the respectivesection of the door 3|. The tension of the springs H1 is such thatduring nearly the entire closing movement of the door sections 3| thecompensating bars 56 will be held stationary in their rearmost positionagainst the stops 69, as shown in Figs. 1, 10 and 11, but after thesedoor sections engage each other at their front ends and the rock leversare still pressed forward for a brief time by the actuatin means whichconnect the same with the motor shaft the compensating bars 66 arepermitted to move forwardly due to the yielding of the springs 70,during which time the lower pivot pins 52 of the rock levers moveforward While the fulcrum of t iese levers is temporarily transferred tothe pins id which pivotally connect the upper ends of the rock leverswith the links 5|. During the initial part of the subsequent openingmovement of the doors 3! the rock levers first turn on the link pins itas fulcrums until the compensating bars 65 have moved backwardly intoengagement with the stops :39 after which these levers turn on the pivotpins 52 as fulcrums. It will be noted that by these means a tightclosure of the doors 3| may be obtained without accurate workmanship inthe mechanism which operates these doors. After the stop screws 69 havebeen adjusted to the desired position the same are held rigidly in placeon the brackets 13 by means of jamb nuts 15, as shown in Figs. and 11.

The serving table 22 which forms the top of the cabinet comprises frontand rear fixed section i? which are mounted lengthwise in any suitablemanner on the upper ends of the upright fixed walls of the cabinet sothat these sections are spaced fore and aft from each other and twoextensible end sections or panels 18, 18 which are slidably mountedbetween the opposing respective ends of the longitudinal table sectionsso that these end sections may be slid inwardly for engaging theiropposing inner ends and thus produce a continuous contracted table topwith the longitudinal table sections and which closes the upper end ofthe equipment chamber 2i or these end table sections may be moved apartso as to uncover the upper end of the equipment chamber.

Various means may be employed for thus movably supporting the end tablesections on the longitudinal table sections but those shown in Figs. 1,l4, l5 and 16 of the drawings are preferred and constructed as follows:

In the space between each of the corresponding ends of the longitudinaltable sections 16, i1 is arranged a carriage on which one of the endtable sections '58 is detachably mounted. This carriage comprises inner,outer and intermediate transverse bars i9, 8!], 8| and two spacedlongitudinal bars 82 which may be constructed of metal and connected byspot welding or in any other appropriate manner. This carriage is guidedfor lengthwise movement on the longitudinal table sections by engagingthe opposite ends of the inner and intermediate cross bars '19, 8a withlongitudinal guideways 83 formed on guide rails or tracks as which aresecured to the underside of the table sections 16, 71 by means of screws85.

Each of the end table sections is equal in width to the space betweenthe opposing longitudinal edges of the front and rear table sections anddetachably mounted on its respective carriage so as to be movabletherewith inwardly and outwardly relative to the body of the cabinet andremains flush with the other table sections. The means for detachablyconnecting each end table section with its carriage includes couplinglugs 3% arranged on the outer ends of the longitudinal carriage bars 82and engaging with recesses 87 on the underside of the outer end of therespective end table section, coupling lugs 88 arranged at 6 theopposite ends of the outer cross bar 8] of the carriage and engagingwith shoulders 89' formed on the underside of this table section, andcoupling clips 90 secured to the underside of the inner part of thistable section and engaging underneath the inner cross bar 79 of thecarriage.

By this means the end table sections are movably supported so that theycan be slid inwardly for contacting the length of the table and forminga closed top for the cabinet when the same is not in use for servinrefreshments and also slid outwardly for expanding the surface of thetable and uncovering the chamber or well 2| in the top of the cabinetand rendering the equipment therein accessible, and the end tablesections can also be readily removed, for cleaning and inspecting thesame and the parts associated therewith.

Outward movement of each end table carriage is limited by stops 9!secured to the underside of the longitudinal table sections adjacent tothe outer ends thereof and adapted to be engaged by the opposite ends ofthe intermediate cross bar 8d of the respective carriage in theoutermost position of the latter.

Power operated means are provided for opening and closing the movableend sections of the table which means are preferably actuated by thesame motor which actuates the front door of the refreshment chamber sothat the top of the equipment chamber and the front of the refreshmentchamber are opened and closed simultaneously. In their preferred formthe means for actuating the end table sections are constructed asfollows:

The numeral 92 represents a gear rack secured lengthwise to theunderside of each of the end tables supporting carriages and a gearwheel 53 meshing with this rack. Across the outer upper parts of theequipment chamber are two horizontal gear shafts $4 each of which isjournaled in bearings on adjacent stationary parts of the cabinet andhas secured thereto one of the gear wheels 93 so that these members turntogether. At its rear end each of the gear shafts M is provided with agear pinion 95 which meshes with the teeth of a gear segment 96 pivotedon the adjacent part of a stationary longitudinal supporting bar 9'!mounted on the upper part of the cabinet housing, as shown in Figs. 1, 2and 3. The two gear segments 96 are caused to rock in unison in oppositedirections by motion derived from a vertically movable slide 98 which isguided in a guideway Hi5 arranged on a stationary part between thesesegments and operatively connected with a rock arm 99 projectingdownwardly from each segment by means of a guide arm Hi9 pivoted at itsupper end on the supporting bar 67, a parallel link NH connecting thelower end of the guide arm Hill with the lower end of the segment arm 99and a shifting link Hi2 connecting the lower end of the guide link itand the inner end of the parallel link It]! with one'side of the slide98. Upon raising the slide 98 to its highest position, as shown in Fig.2, the gear segments 96 will be turned so that both of the end tablesections l8 are simultaneously moved inwardly into their closed positionand upon moving this slide downwardly to its lowermost position, asshown in Fig. 3, these gear segments will be turned simultaneously inthe opposite direction, thereby moving both of these end table sections78 into their outermost open position.

The slide 98 is reciprocated for this purpose by motion derived from themotor 48 and this is preferably accomplished by transmitting meanscomprising a crank I03 connected with the rear end of the crank shaft 56and an upright connecting rod or bar I04 which is pivotally connected atits lower and upper ends respectively with the crank I93 and the slide98. When the crank I03 is in a full upright position, as shown in Fig.2, both end table sections are closed and when this crank projects fullydownwardly these table sections are closed so that during each completerotation of the crank shaft 56 these table end sections are opened andclosed and therefore may be retained in either of these positions bystopping the operation of the motor when the crank N33 is eitherstraight up or straight down.

In order to insure tight engagement of the inner ends of the table endsections I8 and a full closure at the top of the equipment chamber 2Ithe means for actuting these table sections are so constructed that thesame tend to move these table end sections more than is necessary toclose the same and means are therefore provided to compensate for thisover throw or excess of the actuating means in order to avoid breakingany of the parts of this mechanism. This is preferably accomplished byconstructing the connecting rod or bar H34 in sections and yieldinglyconnecting these sections.

In the preferred construction the connecting rod Hi l comprises an uppersection I06 which is pivotally connected with the slide 98, a lowersection It)? which is pivoted to the crank I03, and an intermediatesection I08 which is yieldingly connected with the upper rod section I06and adjustably connected with the lower rod section Ifil. The adjustableconnection between the lower rod section and the intermediate rodsection preferably consists of adjusting screws I89 secured to theintermediate rod section I08 and passing through longitudinal slots I ID in the lower rod section I61, and the yielding connection between theintermediate rod section I08 and the upper rod section I06 preferablycomprises guide pins or screws III secured to the upper rod section IE9and sliding lengthwise in slots I I2 in the intermediate rod sectionI08, and a spring II3 connecting the upper and intermediate rodsections, as shown in Figs. 2, 8 and 9.

The upward movement of the upper rod section I relative to theintermediate section I08 under the pull of the spring I I3 is limited bystop means which preferably consist of the screws III engaging with theupper ends of the slots II2, as shown in Fig, 9.

The contracting movement of the several sections of the connecting rodunder the pull of the spring II3 is limited by engagement of the guidepins i I I with the upper ends of the slots I I2 which form stops forthis purpose.

During nearly the entire throw of the crank I33 into its full upwardposition the several sections of the connecting rod I04 move together asa unit until the table end sectionshave been moved inwardly and are.arrested by engagement of their inner ends and thereafter the continuedlifting efiect of the crank I03 in completing its upward throw onlymoves the lower and intermediate section IIl'I, I08 of the connectingrod I84 independently of its upper section I06, whereby the spring II3will be stretched slightly and stop pins III will be moved slightly awayfrom the upper stop ends of the slots II2, thereby avoiding breaking anyof the operating mechanism. During the subsequent -downward' throw ofthe crank I03 the lower and intermediate con-' necting rodsections willmove independently of the upper section I06 thereof until the guide pinsI I I have again engaged the upper ends of the slots II2 after which theseveral connecting rods will again move in unison and operate to openboth end sections of the table.

Means are provided whereby beverage serving equipment such as glassesand other articles may be lowered and stored in the equipment or utilitychamber 2| when the dispensing cabinet is not in use and also elevatedflush with the top of the table when it is desired to serverefreshments. In their preferred form these elevating means,

as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 are constructed as follows:

The numeral II4 represents a horizontal elevating platform or tray whichis adapted to support various kinds of beverage or refreshment servingequipment and is movable vertically in the equipment chamber between thebottom and top thereof so that any equipment, such as glasses, maybestored in the lower part of this chamber when the cabinet is not in use,and this equipment may be raised flush with the table where the same isaccessible for use. This tray is preferably of rectangular form so as tosubstantially fit the shape of the equipment chamber when lowered andalso fit the space between the opposing inner edges of the end sections'18 of the table when the latter are separated or extended. The meansfor guiding this tray during its vertical movement preferably comprisean upright lifting post I25 which has the form of a plate which isguided for vertical movement in a guideway II6 arranged in the pocket 30of the cabinet and mounted on the rear wall 28 of the refreshmentchamber 20 and provided at its upper end with means for supporting thistray.

Raising and lowering of the lifting post and the tray carried thereon iseffected by a rotatable crank II'E connected with thefront end of theintermediate crank shaft 56 and a connecting rod or bar IIB pivotallyconnected at its lower and upper ends, respectively, with the crank II!and the lifting ost I I5.

The upward movement of the tray is preferably arrested when the upperside thereof is flush with the upper side of the table and for thispurpose the tray is provided on the underside of its opposite transverseedges with stops II9 having the form of fingers which are adapted toengage with the underside of the inner edge portions of the table endsections when the latter fully spread and the tray is in its highestposition, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

For the purpose of insuring raising the tray always to a position flushwith the table without requiring accuracy in workmanship of the liftingmechanism means are provided in this lifting whereby a lifting effect isproduced in excess of that necessary to bring the tray flush with thetable and the excess of this lifting effect is absorbed by yieldingcushioning means, thereby preventing injury, to the tray liftingmechanism. This is preferably accomplished as follows:

The numeral I20 represents a plurality of supporting arms projectinglaterally from the upper end of the lifting post I I5 along theunderside of the tray. This tray is supported on these lifting arms by aplurality of springs i2! interposed between these arms and the tray andthus provides a cushion between these members which tends constantly tomove the tray upwardly from these arms. Thisraising effect of thesesprings is limited preferably by stop means consisting of screws I22passing through these springs and secured at their upper ends to thetray while their heads bear against the underside of the tray H4. Justbefore the lifting post completes its upward movement the stop fingersH9 engage the underside of the table end sections '18 and thereby arrestthe tray flush with the table and as this lifting post effects the finalpart of its upward movement independently of the tray, the springs l2|are compressed a corresponding extent. During the initial part of thesubsequent downward movement of the lifting post the tray remains atrest until the springs l2l have expanded sufficiently to take up theslack permitted by the stop screws I22 and after this slack has beentaken up the tray descends in unison with the post into the lowermostposition of the lifting mechanism.

The operating mechanism of this dispensing cabinet is so timed thatduring one-half of each complete cycle of operations the front door ofthe refreshment chamber is opened in unison with separation of the tableand sections into an open position and elevation of the tray so that itis level with the table thereby rendering all the storage facilities ofthe cabinet accessible for use and placing the table in readiness forserving refreshments to guests, it being understood that the operatingmechanism is arrested either manually or automatically when the severalparts are in the required position.

When the repast is finished the second half of the complete cycle of theoperating mechanism causes simultaneous lowering of the tray,contracting the table end sections, and closing of the front door whichoperation may likewise be controlled in any approved manner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention rovides anattractive dispens- 10 ing cabinet having extensible end table sectionswhich can be easily and quickly contracted or expanded thereby providinga completely enclosed storage cabinet when in a contracted position andan extended serving table when in an expanded position.

I claim:

A dispensing cabinet comprising a chamber having an entrance at itsupper end, closure means for opening and closing said entrance includingfront and rear longitudinal table sections, end table sections arrangedbetween corresponding ends of said front and rear sections and slidableinwardly and outwardly for contracting and expanding the surface of thetable and covering and uncovering the central part of the cabinet, meansfor guiding each of said end table sections on said front and rearsections including longitudinal guide rails arranged on said front andrear table sections and provided with guideways, a carriage providedwith crossbars engaging with said guideways and also provided withlongitudinal bars, means for detachably mounting each end table sectionon the respective carriage including coupling lugs arranged on some ofsaid bars and engaging recesses and shoulders on the underside of therespective end table section and clips secured to the underside of saidend table section and engaging with another of said bars, and meansarranged to move said carriages along said guideways.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 750,282 Honold Jan. 26, 1904 2,119,047 Gail May 31, 1938

